Jimmy Eriksson: “I haven’t driven at a street circuit in a long time”

For the first time in four years since racing around the streets of Macau in Formula 3 machinery, Jimmy Eriksson will compete on a street circuit once more when he makes his Monaco debut in the GP2 Series.

The Swedish driver made his GP2 debut two weeks ago with Arden International, and revealed that he is excited about the weekend ahead around Monaco, having done as much preparation as possible in the simulator at the factory and with looking at onboard cameras from previous races around the tight and twisty circuit lined with Armco barriers.

“It will be exciting going to Monaco for the first time this weekend, especially in a car as quick as the GP2,” said Eriksson. “I haven’t driven at a street circuit in a long time, and it’s something I’ve been missing.

“It will be a special weekend and I do realise the scope of the challenge. I’ve been doing the normal preparations with the team back in England, running on the sim and watching onboards from previous years, but of course it will be a very different story in real life.

“Racing on the streets of Monaco will be something to remember, I’m sure, and I’m looking very much forward to it.”

With the limited practice time available, Ericsson knows track time will be key this weekend as he learns the Monaco track, and hopes to learn the circuit enough and get the balance right on his car for a good qualifying effort.

“It will be massively important to make the most of practice and to really rack up the laps,” insists Eriksson. “That’s basically the same everywhere, but it’s even more crucial in Monaco – particularly for me, with zero experience around there.

“Having said that, you can’t be overly cautious in practice and just drive around; you need to push the limits ahead of qualifying. It will be a bit of a compromise between the two, and hopefully I can find the right balance.”